Sports

7:21 AM ET AT THE HEIGHT of protest over the May 2020 police murder of George Floyd, one of retired NBA star Dwyane Wade’s Twitter accounts posted: “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.” The tweet from an athlete celebrated for his social justice advocacy was perfectly in character. The account that

7:00 AM ET Lindsey ThiryESPN Close Covered Rams for two years for Los Angeles Times Previously covered the Falcons Has covered the NBA and college football and basketball THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Los Angeles Rams receiver Odell Beckham Jr. caught a backward pass, shuffled, then planted his feet during a wild-card playoff game against the

7:20 AM ET We’re just 16 days removed from the 2021 college football season, and after the exciting five months of football we just had, it’s hard to not look ahead to 2022. New faces in new places, rivalries renewed and rivalries intensified have us looking forward to plenty of nonconference matchups heading into next

6:50 AM ET As of Wednesday, 20 of the NHL’s 32 teams have hit the 41-game mark, so it’s the perfect time to check in on their progress against preseason expectations. To help tell the tale, we compared every team’s current standings point pace against their preseason over-under at Caesars Sportsbook. Who’s ahead of pace,

3:58 PM ET With the process still tainted by the steroid era, David Ortiz was the lone player to gain induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame this year, while players like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens were shut out. “Big Papi” was the only player to clear the 75 percent threshold for induction, according

7:00 AM ET The transfer window closes on Jan. 31 (find out when across Europe’s top leagues here) and the final week of business is likely to prove significant to a number of leading players and clubs. 2 Related While some big deals have already been done — Barcelona signed Ferran Torres for £46.3 million

3:18 PM ET Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. recognized early he would never be a seven-time NASCAR champion like his dad. It was unrealistic to believe he would match the late Dale Earnhardt on the track. The Intimidator was tough as nails, didn’t tolerate any nonsense and built a winning resume that

1:49 PM ET ANAHEIM, Calif. — A highly anticipated battle between the two top heavyweights in the world — who also happen to be former teammates — is now official. Francis Ngannou weighed in at 257 pounds and Ciryl Gane was 247 pounds Friday morning. The two giants will compete to unify the UFC heavyweight

7:51 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Gary Russell Jr. is boxing’s longest-reigning champion. As of Saturday, he’ll have held his title for 2,493 days. While he’s undoubtedly one of the most talented fighters in the world, that status is partially due to his low level of activity. Gary Russell Jr. fights just once a year. The

9:54 PM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com American Jessica Pegula advanced to the fourth round of the Australian Open for the second consecutive year with a 7-6 (3), 6-2 victory over Nuria Parrizas Diaz on Thursday. The tournament’s No. 21 seed recorded seven aces and 20 winners in the 91-minute clash. She’ll next face the winner of

8:03 PM ET Associated Press LA QUINTA, Calif. — Patrick Cantlay shot a 10-under 62 in perfect weather and turf conditions Thursday at La Quinta Country Club for a share of the first-round lead with rookie Lee Hodges in The American Express. Cantlay played the first seven holes in 7 under, making an eagle on

8:00 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN MADISON SQUARE GARDEN had just played host to one of the season’s most thrilling comebacks. It was Jan. 6, and New York Knicks fans had witnessed a ridiculous buzzer-beating bank shot 3-pointer by RJ Barrett that capped a 24-point rally and win against the Boston Celtics. It was the Knicks’

7:12 PM ET Brady HendersonESPN Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford doesn’t expect his injured toe to be a factor in Sunday’s divisional-round game against the Buccaneers in Tampa, Florida. Stafford suffered the injury in the Rams’ regular-season finale against the San Francisco 49ers, a 27-24 overtime loss. “I’m feeling OK,” Stafford said Wednesday. “The

10:45 AM GMT Owen Farrell has retained his England captaincy for the 2022 Six Nations while George Ford, Elliot Day, Sam Underhill and Mako and Billy Vunipola miss out on the squad. Manu Tuilagi was also not named in the 36-man squad announced by coach Eddie Jones on Tuesday but he is expected to join

2:31 PM GMT Scotland coach Gregor Townsend has named five uncapped players in Scotland’s 39-man squad for the 2022 Six Nations, as well as including centre Cameron Redpath just days after his first appearance in seven months. Redpath had a memorable debut in Scotland’s win at Twickenham last season and is in line for a

7:30 AM ET They’re still celebrating Georgia’s first national championship in 41 years in Dawg Land, but that doesn’t mean it’s too soon to start looking ahead to the 2022 college football season. We’ve already unveiled our 2022 Way-Too-Early top 25, and up next is our Way-Too-Early All-America team, which features some familiar names, as

4:43 PM ET Associated Press SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — The New York Racing Association is planning to reconstruct the Wilson Chute at Saratoga Race Course, which will allow one-mile races to be run on the main dirt track during the summer meet. A chute is an extension of the backstretch or homestretch of a track

7:00 AM ET Wayne Simmonds was drawn to hockey at a young age. He just wasn’t allowed to participate until one specific homework assignment was complete, on one specific figure. “I remember being 6 or 7 years old, and I told my parents, ‘I want to play hockey.’ And they said before I could, I

7:00 AM ET Six first basemen have attained nine-figure contracts in their 30s, and the results haven’t necessarily been great. The megadeals for Miguel Cabrera and Albert Pujols became problems almost immediately. So did the one for Ryan Howard. Deals for Jason Giambi and Carlos Lee started off well but fizzled in the back halves.

5:45 PM ET There were mixed fortunes for some of Europe’s biggest clubs over the weekend, with Real Madrid claiming silverware and Manchester United enduring more issues on and off the pitch. Meanwhile, there was controversy in the Copa del Rey and wins that moved Manchester City and Bayern Munich closer to title triumphs. Here